Team Agreements.
Creating the results you’re after.
By aligning on expectations as a team.
watch a summary
What all high performing teams share is a solid agreement on how everyone agrees to show up.
Studies have discovered that teams who have a clear, productive way of working together, perform better. In an analysis of 180 high & low performing teams, Google discovered the ‘norms’ of a group had greater influence than one performer.
And when we look at the best teams in the world, we see they all have a way of organising themselves to achieve a result.
What is a team agreement, exactly?
It’s a ‘ways of working’ agreement that makes explicit what the boss expects and needs, to achieve a certain result. This typically covers how people communicate, share results and collaborate.
It can be as formal as a framed guide, a powerpoint slide in internal meetings, a written agreement or as informal as a verbal agreement or understanding.
For example, the rugby team the All Blacks have a set of leadership principles. And SaaS company Atlassian prioritises this, too.
Why does it work?
When a group of people are crystal clear on what’s expected of them, they’re more likely to perform. When we have clarity on how to behave, when to expect feedback, and are given permission to challenge things, we increase positive intent.
When people are given explicit guidance on why you work a certain way, and how that helps you achieve a goal, they will more likely see how it benefits them and their goals.
Without an agreement, you’re hoping for results.
An agreement creates those results.
Instead of waiting and hoping for people to perform a certain way, an agreement gets everyone on the same page, makes it explicit what the expectations are and gives you a solid foundation for growth and feedback conversations.
This way you’re creating a system of things your team does consistently that means you are more likely to achieve your goals, regardless of whether it’s a good day or a tricky one.
What does a team agreement actually look like?
As formal as a powerpoint slide, framed on your wall, or as informal as a verbal agreement.
Let’s look at a few examples.
A verbal agreement:
‘In this team we get right to the point. We have no time for negativity - only solutions. If you have a problem with someone, you talk to them. Are you in?’
A written agreement:
‘In our team, we use time tracking software. If it’s not done by Friday afternoons, you have to buy the team dinner.
Our most important stakeholder is the client. If you need help getting her requests sorted, we all pitch in.
It’s not cool to gossip about people. Instead, you can get support to have a feedback conversation. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s not okay to miss a deadline.’
What might your version look like?
What we do at Happiness Concierge.
We have it written down in our Happiness Concierge Handbook. As we work together, and figure out what sticks, we update the list.
Here are some examples:
System = push reporting. We ‘present’ our work in progress to each other.
Critique the work, not the person or effort. We’re aiming for specific feedback.
Fail privately: do what you need to do BTS to be confident in public.
As you can imagine, these agreements influence how we communicate, how we collaborate and how we work.
And if and when things don’t work out…
Such as, we’re tired or just can’t be bothered, the agreement dictates we’ve all agreed to this standard.
There isn’t any room for tantrums or ego because … we’ve agreed these are the standards we want in our team.
It’s okay to be tired, or stressed or strung out. It’s okay to ask for help. But it’s not okay to let ourselves run away in a bad mood.
Our agreement holds all of us, myself included, to that standard.
In workshops, we teach leaders how to create their agreement.
We ask leaders to write one ‘non-negotiable’ they see as essential in each of the following categories: systems, behaviours, communication and relationships.
Getting your agreement started.
Try this short exercise.
In your team …
What are the non-negotiable systems people need to use?
What are deal breakers in how they behave?
What is not cool, and what is okay, when you talk to each other?
Who do you need to impress in your team and what’s the impact?
Getting specific helps you figure out what expectations are not being met.
What do you notice?
Retro fitting expectations into your agreement.
When leaders feel overwhelmed, we ask them these questions to clarify what’s really going on:
If succeeding was inevitable … what would need to happen each week?
If I didn’t care how people worked … what evidence would I need to see on the regular?
If everything went wrong … what would need to be in place to mitigate that?
Do these questions give you clarity on what your team may need to opt into?
Tabling this idea with your team.
You can create your agreement in one of two ways:
Document your non-negotiables, discuss with your team. This works best when trust is established.
Do it from scratch. Involve the whole team. Great for buy-in, and bonding team members to build trust.
Which is most relevant for you?